METRO - Occupying a 127-year-old red-brick smokehouse, this charming dive — more East Village than Financial District — prides itself on being one of the last watering holes frequented by Fulton Fish Market workers. Today, it attracts an eclectic mix of artists and local residents escaping the Seaport throngs. From 4 to 8 p.m. daily, pair their signature Dark & Stormys, Bloody Marys and Laura Palmers (all $6) and $4 drafts with homemade mac...continue to the full article here.
Denise Richards Channels Her Inner Tyler Perry →
METRO - As she munches on Peanut M&Ms, exchanges a quick word with her publicist and taps out a lightning-fast text message — “I’m so sorry, just making arrangements with the kids,” she blurts — Denise Richards is every bit the multi-tasking mom. But in a matter of hours, she’ll dial up the glamour, working the red carpet for the premiere of Madea’s Witness Protection, the seventh installment in Tyler Perry’s ever-expanding franchise....continue to the full article here.
A Vegetarian in Japan →
CONDE NAST TRAVELLER INDIA - As the daughter of Gujarati parents, raised in the port of Kobe—one of the first Japanese cities to open its doors to foreign trade, circa 1868—my culinary background is usually the subject of close scrutiny and heightened alarm when friends discover I’m a committed vegetarian, something of an anomaly in a country that’s given the world sushi and teriyaki...continue to the full article here.
Patang: 'An Anthem for Ahmedabad' →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Director Prashant Bhargava’s debut feature film, “Patang,” is a lyrical glimpse at the lives of six people, intertwined like a web of tangled kite strings. Set against the kaleidoscopic canvas of India’s largest kite festival in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the film releases in the U.S. this Friday. Starring Seema Biswas and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Patang follows a successful Delhi businessman...continue to the full article here.
Why Indian Americans Dominate the U.S. Motel Industry →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Nearly half of the motels in the U.S. are owned by Indian Americans. Six years ago, Pawan Dhingra, a newly-appointed sociology professor at Tufts University, set out to examine why such an ubiquitous and distinctly American roadside fixture became so popular among this community, focusing on a surge of Gujarati motel keepers who contributed to the “Patel motel” phenomenon...continue to the full article here.
At NY's Indian Film Festival, It's All About Young Actors →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - When this year’s edition of the New York Indian Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday, a sprinkling of powerful, youth-driven stories will take center stage. From an illiterate kite-flying enthusiast in“Gattu” (2011) to a reluctant freedom-fighter in “Chittagong,” (2012) a handful of young characters succeed in leaving indelible impressions, staying with us long after we’ve left the theater...continue to the full article here.
Moggach on 'Outsourcing' the Elderly To India →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - John Madden’s Subcontinental twist on retirement, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” hits Indian theaters this month. The film, which has a stellar cast that includes Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Dev Patel, has already received a warm welcome in its native Britain. It traces a motley crew of pensioners who forego dreary England for the promise of a “luxury retirement home” in Jaipur, India...continue to the full article here.
Kailash Kher: From Playing God to Touring the US →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - It was a career first for singer Kailash Kher when he took on the voice of God for the soundtrack of an upcoming Bollywood film. “I was literally on cloud nine,” said the 38-year-old artist, exuding childlike glee at a Manhattan press conference last Thursday, kicking off a month-long U.S. tour with his band, Kailasa. Rustic, unbridled vocals (often compared to the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), a Sufi-inspired sensibility...continue to the full article here.
Food Festival Steers New Yorkers Beyond Chicken Tikka →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - If the scent of roasted cumin wafts over Manhattan this week, it’s thanks to the Second Annual Varli Food Festival. On April 5, the city’s Metropolitan Pavilion will host over 60 Indian restaurants and 20 celebrity chefs for a gourmet carnival complete with cooking demonstrations, tastings, a silent auction and the pièce de résistance, a spice market, all in the name of delivering Indian food to the people...continue to the full article here.
Shabana Azmi on the Social Side of Indian Cinema →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - No stranger to blazing a multitude of cinematic and social trails, Shabana Azmi became the first Indian actor to receive a proclamation from the state of New York last week. Ms. Azmi, 61, was awarded the honor for her contribution and commitment to the Big Apple’s film industry, largely fueled by her involvement with the Indo-American Arts Council and its annual New York Indian Film Festival, now in its 12th year. “I feel...continue to the full article here.
SRK Targets NRIs With New Production House →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - When Bollywood kingpin Shah Rukh Khan launched his production company in the U.S. earlier this week, there was no swanky soirée or engineered publicity stunt to usher in the venture. “I want to start the company off with a bang,” said Shailja Gupta, head of Red Chillies USA. “But I’d like the work to speak for itself." Charged with expanding the company’s digital presence while also securing partnerships...continue to the full article here.
America's Best Wine Bars →
TRAVEL + LEISURE - Paris was on Amalie Roberts’s mind when she designed the cozy wine bar Kir in Portland, OR. “My intention was to create a space where the ambience, food, and wine can transport you to another place altogether,” she says. As their numbers have swelled across America, the best wine bars distinguish themselves by offering this kind of special atmosphere—alluring, but not too snobby—along with wine lists notable for their breadth or...continue to the full article here.
Nepal's 'Bandh' Generation on the Silver Screen →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - When Nepalese filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar was en route to the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival earlier this month, he found himself stuck in New York. This reminded him of the movie he was heading there to screen: his debut feature “Highway.” While the nine main characters in “Highway” are stranded on an ill-fated bus to Kathmandu, stymied by an illegal road blockade, Mr. Rauniyar was the victim...continue to the full article here.
Musharraf, Still Outside Pakistan, Plugs His Case →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf may have disappointed the world’s media – and his remaining supporters – by postponing his widely-flagged return to his native country. But he can still draw a respectable crowd in the West, as witnessed by his Feb. 9 appearance before 750 people at Drew University in New Jersey. The 68-year-old former military ruler has lived in self-imposed exile, shuttling between...continue to the full article here.
Meet The NRI Who Dresses Mrs. Obama →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - It’s hardly surprising that Rachel Roy’s name graces the list of 23, big-league American fashion designers behind “Runway to Win”, a fund-raising venture directed towards President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. The 38-year-old designer, of Bengali and Dutch descent, joins the ranks of heavy-hitters like Vera Wang and Diane von Furstenberg, creating an exclusive range of limited-edition merchandise, unveiled on Feb 7...continue to the full article here.
The Existential Diary of a Punjabi-American Teenager →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Despite growing up on the vibrant, picture-perfect shores of Palos Verdes, California, author and filmmaker Keshni Kashyap endured pangs of loneliness as an apprehensive teenager, maneuvering the many social gauntlets that defined her elite, private school. “What helped me most was this philosophy class I took when I was 15,” revealed Ms. Kashyap, whose debut graphic novel, “Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary,” published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, hit U.S. bookstores last week....continue to the full article here.
Aladdin Ullah, A South Asian Trailblazer In New York →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - In the early 1990s, Bangladeshi-American comedian Aladdin Ullah found himself in a Los Angeles hotel room, anxiously preparing for the part of a mercurial Middle-Eastern prince in an upcoming blockbuster. “Death to America!” he hollered at a mirror. “Death to America! Death to America!” he continued, trying variations of the phrase before acknowledging that it didn't really matter...continue to the full article here.
A Raga Supernova Lights Up New York →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Maestro Amjad Ali Khan seemed to embody the definition of a raga, a term derived from the Sanskrit word for color and passion, as he took center stage at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier this week. Dressed in red velvet, he cradled his sarod, eyes half-closed, before launching into a mesmerizing rendition of the classic Hindu hymn, “Vaishanva Janato,”...continue to the full article here.
Staging an Intimate Portrait of 9/11 →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Just days after the 9/11 attacks, playwright Rehana Lew Mirza was heartbroken by what she encountered while walking in New York City. “I saw a flyer of a missing South Asian woman with holes burnt into the eyes and mouth,” she said. It was a seminal moment for the young artist and one that inspired her to pen “Barriers,” a raw look at the struggle of a Pakistani-Chinese family who suffered loss in the 9/11 tragedy...continue to the full article here.
Beth Goes To Bollywood (Awards) →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - When Bollywood holds its equivalent of Oscar’s night at Toronto’s Rogers Center on Saturday, Beth Watkins will finally get a chance to rub shoulders with the stars, directors and producers she has written about for nearly six years. Ms. Watkins, 37, was first acquainted with Hindi cinema in the 1990s, as a graduate student in museum studies, thanks to an Indian television channel that was an off-beat—yet addictive—accompaniment to her Sunday morning coffee ritual...continue to the full article here.